Music News

05 Jan 2024

Kesha Promises Fans New Music Is ‘Coming Soon!’ in 2024

New year, new Kesha — literally. On Thursday (Jan. 4), the pop star stepped out for a walk and gave fans an update on when they can expect new music.

“New music coming soon!” the 36-year-old wrote on a cardboard box, which she was seen holding in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven in Los Angeles. The “TiK ToK” singer smiled for paparazzi while wearing a casual t-shirt and pair of sweatpants, accessorizing that with a cowboy hat and yellow-tinted sunglasses. New music would mark a follow up to Kesha’s latest album, Gag Order; the experimental-leaning project, released in May, peaked at No. 168 on the Billboard 200.

The announcement comes six months after Kesha settled her nine-year lawsuit with Dr. Luke, his record label, Kemosabe, RCA Records and Vector Management. Following the settlement, the pop star took to Instagram to thank her devoted fans for the support they’ve provided her amid the legal battle.

“I am humbled and in awe of the support and love y’all have given me,” she captioned a June 27 post of herself performing onstage, with fans in the crowd holding up hearts with their hands. “You have held me and carried me through the past 9 years. I am so full of light and excitement for the beautiful things to come, for shows to play, and art to make to share with you all.”

In a December update to her fans via TikTok, Kesha shared a video of her running into the ocean with the caption, “I haven’t felt this free since I was 18,” which spawned fans wishing her the best in the comments section on the app.

05 Jan 2024

Here’s Why Fans Think Ariana Grande’s New Song or Album Is Titled ‘Yes, And?’

Ariana Grande‘s new music is officially coming any day now, and fans think they may have even figured out the title.

Although they aren’t sure whether it’s the name of her recently confirmed seventh album, a song from the album, or both, Arianators are certain that “Yes, And?” is going to be a very important phrase in the 30-year-old pop star’s discography very soon. The theory starts with a custom sweatshirt Grande wore this week with the two-word question printed on the front, which she paired with jeans, black loafers, a brown tote purse and red nails.

After photos of the outfit hit social media, someone very close to Grande seemed to subtly confirm that the sweatshirt was exactly what fans thought it was. The R.E.M. Beauty founder’s mother Joan liked a picture of her daughter wearing the sweatshirt that a fan on Twitter had captioned, “ariana grande teasing her comeback single ‘yes, and?’”

But there’s more. Last week, Ari posted a muted clip of Joan jamming out to one of the album’s unreleased songs on Instagram. And although you can’t hear the music, lip-reading fans say that Mama Grande was definitely singing along to the words “yes and.”

“I KNOW SHE WAS DANCING TO YES, AND?” one fan tweeted, sharing the clip of Joan.

Just days before the new year, the “Thank U, Next” singer confirmed that her new album will drop at some point in 2024 — and it definitely seems to be coming sooner rather than later. The star has also been sharing a number of pictures and mostly muted videos from her recent time in the studio, as well as a blurry image of her own red lips that fans think may be the project’s cover.

Grande’s expected return to music comes after a years long break during which she openly chose to focus on her makeup business and her role in the upcoming live action adaptations of the Broadway musical Wicked, in which she’ll play Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba. She hasn’t had a proper release since 2020’s Positions, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 and spawned a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single with its title track. 

See how Arianators are reacting to the “Yes, And?” theory below.

05 Jan 2024

Lenny Kravitz Feels ‘Blessed’ By Daughter Zoë’s Engagement to Channing Tatum

Lenny Kravitz couldn’t be happier about his future son-in-law. While on the red carpet at the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Festival, the 59-year-old rocker gushed about his daughter, actress Zoë Kravitz, and her recently confirmed engagement to Channing Tatum.

“Hey man, that’s life,” he told Entertainment Tonight when asked about the engagement. “When your family is happy, when your child is happy, that’s it.”

“I’ve done well,” added the “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” singer. “Blessed.”

Lenny’s comments come just a couple months after People reported that the couple, who have been dating since 2021, had wedding bells in their future. In October, Zoë and the Magic Mike star sported Halloween costumes inspired by Rosemary’s Baby, and fans were quick to notice what appeared to be an engagement ring on the Batman actress’ knife-wielding hand.

In December, she appeared at the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles with the same ring on her engagement finger.

“He makes me laugh and we both really love art and talking about art and the exploration of why we do what we do,” Zoë told GQ in a November 2022 cover story. “We love to watch a film and break it down and talk about it and challenge each other.”

Tatum and his wife of 10 years, Jenna Dewan, divorced in 2019.

Zoë’s rock star dad is fresh off the release of a number of projects at the tail end of 2023, most recently his “I Believe in Love Again” duet with Peggy Gou. Prior to that, he shared “Road to Freedom” for the Netflix film Rustin and “TK421,” for which he also shared a steamy music video.

“You all have truly made my year,” Lenny wrote on Instagram on New Year’s Eve. “Let’s put all of our love and positive energy into 2024 to make it better.”

05 Jan 2024

Megan Thee Stallion & Reneé Rapp Express Female Rage in ‘Not My Fault’ Music Video


It’s not Megan Thee Stallion and Renée Rapp’s fault that the buzz around their collaboration is heating up.

The duo teamed up for a raging new music video for “Not My Fault” on Friday (Jan. 5), just a few weeks after the song was released. In the clip, the duo is dressed in all pink as they smash a bunch of plastic mannequins — which is so fetch given that the song is set to be included in the upcoming Mean Girls reboot.

“Not My Fault” was first announced by Megan via a post on Rapp’s Instagram account. In a teaser clip, the “Cobra” rapper announced that she and the “Snow Angel” singer had “a new song coming out for Mean Girls.” Rapp then subsequently posted the cover art for the new single, showing the pair baring it all in a room filled with plastic mannequins. “meg told me to put my a– out so I put my a– out,” Rapp wrote about the art on X.

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Rapp stars in the Mean Girls reboot as the queen bee of North Shore High School, Regina George, reprising her role from the Broadway musical adaptation of the classic 2004 high school comedy. The new film arrives in theaters on Jan. 12.

Watch the “Not My Fault” music video below.

05 Jan 2024

Ludacris Drops Fiery Freestyle After Katt Williams’ Illuminati Claim: Watch

Ludacris would like a word. On Thursday (Jan. 4), the “Act a Fool” rapper seemingly responded to Katt Williams’ claim that he is a member of the Illuminati through a fiery freestyle.

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In a video taken from the studio and posted to Instagram, the three-time Grammy winner and Fast & Furious star rapped over a beat while checking several of the claims in Williams’ recent Club Shay Shay interview with football legend Shannon Sharpe, which sparked numerous viral moments.

“Whatever’s heavy on my heart is always on my mind/ Like Snoop’s cannabis shredder I’m always on my grind,” the freestyle kicks off. “They throwing shade ‘cause n—as could never take my shine/ I bring my watch collection on my jet, let me take my time/ Like fine wine I’m aging like Benjamin/ Top five, I’m worth mentioning/ Bring me rappers, I’m lynching ‘em.”

“Never been Illuminati, only Ill-Luda-nati/ And I only left with b—–s when coming from any party/ Now I’m married with kids, the evolution of life/ Never been a clout chaser, never say s–t for likes/ RIP John Singleton, you never have to flex when you earned every one of your Fast and Furious checks/ Afro with the sideburns, yeah that’s my signature/ Addiction’s on the rise, comedians check your temperature.”

Ludacris came up on Club Shay Shay when the host, three-time Super Bowl champion Sharpe, asked if Williams and the rapper were related in the midst of discussing the comedian’s conflicts with other comics in his field.

“So, there was a crossroads where we were both invited to an Illuminati thing, and it had to be one or the other of us and decisions had to be made,” Williams explained. “So it was both of us. We were equal. One of us had to cut off all their hair and couldn’t do the sideburn thing no more, with the points. And the next person they said was going to get $200 million because they were going to pay him $10 million a movie to do 20 movies. And that’s how the conversation happened. One of those persons turned out to be Ludacris, and the other person turned out to be Katt Williams.”

Following Luda’s freestyle, fans praised him for taking time to address the rumors. “Soo that’s what it took to get Luda back on a mic?!” one fan mused, with another fan commenting “And that’s that on that!” with a fire emoji.

Watch Ludacris’ freestyle below and find Williams’ Club Shay Shay interview here.

05 Jan 2024

David Soul, ‘Starsky & Hutch’ Star and ‘Don’t Give Up on Us’ Singer Dies at 80

David Soul, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed star of hit 1970s cop series Starsky & Hutch and soft rock balladeer has died at 80. In a statement on Soul’s site, the actor’s wife, Helen Snell, wrote, “David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday (4 January) after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family. He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend. His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”

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The star born David Richard Solbert on Aug. 28, 1943 in Chicago bounced between acting and singing for much of his career following an itinerant childhood in which his family moved from South Dakota to Berlin, where his father, history and political science professor Dr. David Solberg, served as the senior representative for the Lutheran World Federation refugee relief organization in the early 1950s.

According to his official bio, the talented baseball player was offered a pro contract with the Chicago White Sox after graduating from high school, but opted instead to join his family in Mexico after his second year of college, where he befriended a group of radicalized students who gifted him a guitar and taught him their nation’s indigenous songs. Soul later hitchhiked back to the Midwest and auditioned for a gig singing folk songs at the Ten O’Clock Scholar, a Univ. of Minnesota coffee house which had once hosted a young Bob Dylan.

After co-founding the Firehouse Theater in Minneapolis in the 1960s and foreshortening his last name to the more pithy “Soul,” the actor hit upon a gimmick of performing his folk songs while wearing a ski mask and calling himself “The Covered Man.” That bit landed him agency representation from the William Morris Agency, “sight unseen,” and a recurring spot on The Merv Griffin Show, where he performed his masked act; he also signed with MGM Records and released his debut album, The Covered Man.

After his first TV role in the light children’s series Flipper, Soul got a spot on the comedy I Dream of Jeannie and appeared in a 1967 episode of Star Trek, which led to his next gig playing Joshua Bolt on the comedy Western Here Come the Brides from 1968-1970. Soul appeared in a few more small screen gigs before Clint Eastwood cast him as a police officer in the gritty 1973 crime drama — and Dirty Harry sequel — Magnum Force.

That cop turn led to the defining role of Soul’s career as detective Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson on the police procedural Starsky & Hutch (1975-1979), where he starred alongside Paul Michael Glaser’s David Michael Starsky in the popular series in which the men tore around the fictional city of Bay City, CA in their signature red Ford Gran Torino with a white stripe on the side.

Soul went on to make cameos in a number of other popular 1970s dramas and comedies — Cannon, Gunsmoke, Ironside, Medical Center, The Streets of San Francisco and All in the Family, among many others — while also directing and and producing films and theater productions throughout the 1980s and staring in a number of West End production after moving to London in the 1990s.

He also launched a parallel music career with a series of soft rock hits under his stage name, beginning with his 1976 self-titled debut album, which featured a mix of originals and covers of songs by Leonard Cohen and Dr. Music. His 1976 ballad “Don’t Give Up On Us” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (while also topping the UK charts) and was followed by the 1977 No. 1 UK hit “Silver Lady” (which hit No. 5 on the U.S. charts). Several more albums followed, with diminishing returns, including 1977’s Playing to an Audience of One, 1979’s Band of Friends, 1982’s The Best Days of My Life and his final full-length, 1997’s Leave a Light On.

Listen to “Don’t Give Up On Us” below.

05 Jan 2024

Kelly Clarkson Jokes About Wearing ‘Tight Sh-t’ Amid Weight Loss Journey

Kelly Clarkson is breaking down her weight loss journey piece by piece.

During her Chemistry: An Intimate Evening with Kelly Clarkson Las Vegas residency, the “Breakaway” singer poked fun at her wardrobe evolution amid her recent body transformation. In a Jan. 2 TikTok, an audience member asks Clarkson to take a shot with them, prompting the Grammy winner to explain why that might be a bit difficult.

“Oh, boy. I really can’t bend in these,” Clarkson quipped, stretching over the gap between the stage and the audience to grab a single-shot bottle of what the fan confirmed as vodka in a semi-sheer black curve-hugging jumpsuit. “Dude, this is tight. Like, I lost weight and they’re like, ‘Let’s get you into this tight s–t.’”

Clarkson eventually did take the shot, quoting the iconic “I’m a cool mom” Mean Girls quote once the fan confirmed that the shot was in celebration of their 22nd birthday. After initially saying the alcohol smelt like “electric glue,” Clarkson eventually conceded, “Well, that tastes pretty good!”

The “Since U Been Gone” singer recently opened up about her weight loss journey in a Jan. 3 interview with People. “Walking in the city is quite the workout, and I’m really into infrared saunas right now. I just got a cold plunge because everybody wore me down,” she revealed. “I eat a healthy mix. I dropped weight because I’ve been listening to my doctor — a couple years I didn’t. And 90 percent of the time I’m really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway. I’m a Texas girl, so I like meat — sorry, vegetarians in the world!”

Next month (Feb. 4), Clarkson is headed to the Grammys with a best pop vocal album nomination for Chemistry — her tenth studio album and ninth Billboard 200 top 10 entry. On the Billboard Hot 100, the powerhouse vocalist has collected 11 top 10 hits, including the chart-toppers “Stronger” (three weeks), “My Life Would Suck Without You” (two weeks) and “A Moment Like This” (two weeks).

Watch Kelly Clarkson joke about her weight loss and take a shot with a fan below.

05 Jan 2024

Billy Joel Announces 2024 Stadium Dates With Stevie Nicks and Sting

Billy Joel will spend 2024 on the road with some good friends, with the Piano Man slated to hit a number of stadiums across the U.S. with Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks and Sting in between his ongoing residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Joel announced the new gigs on Thursday (Jan. 4), which he said will include his first show in eight years in Seattle (at T-Mobile Park on May 24) a return to Chicago’s Soldier Field (on June 21) with Nicks — with whom he toured in 2023 as part of their “Two Icons One Night” outing — as well as his first show in Denver in over five years (July 12 at Coors Field) and stops at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Sept. 27 and gigs in San Diego and Arlington, TX.

The gigs will come amid Joel’s historic sold-out run at MSG, where he will fire up his keys on Jan. 11, Feb. 9, March 28, April 26, May 9, June 8 and July 25, marking the end of a decade-long, 150-show run.

Check out Joel’s 2024 tour dates below:

Jan. 11 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden 
Feb. 9 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden 
Feb. 24 — Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium # 
March 9 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium *
March 28 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden 
April 13 — San Diego, CA @ Petco Park #
April 26 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
May 9 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden 
May 24 — Seattle, WA @ T-Mobile Park 
June 8 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden 
June 21 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field * 
July 12 — Denver, CO @ Coors Field, CO 
July 25 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden 
August 9 — Cardiff, Wales @ Principality Stadium 
Sept. 27 — St. Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium #

with Sting (#)

with Stevie Nicks (*)

05 Jan 2024

Billie Eilish Dedicates ‘What Was I Made For’ Win at Palm Springs Film Awards to ‘Anyone Who Experiences Hopelessness’

Billie Eilish knows that great art sometimes comes from the darkest places. And on Thursday night (Jan. 4) at the Palm Springs Film Awards, the 22-year-old singer accepted the Chairman’s Award in honor of her Golden Globe and Grammy-nominated Barbie soundtrack hit “What Was I Made For?” with an emotional speech dedicated to anyone struggling with thoughts of despair she knows all too well.

“I would really like to say that this award and any recognition that this song gets, I just want to dedicate to anyone who experiences hopelessness, the feeling of existential dread and feeling like, what’s the point, why am I here and why am I doing this?,” Eilish said while accepting the award alongside her brother/producer, Finneas, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The pair picked up the honor — marking the first time it’s been given to a musician — after a tribute from Barbie director Greta Gerwig. “I think we all feel like that occasionally, but I think if somebody like me, with the amount of privilege that I have and the incredible things that I get to do and be and how I have really not wanted to be here… sorry to be dark, damn, but I’ve spent a lot of time feeling that way,” Eilish continued.

The singer — who has openly and frequently discussed her mental health struggles — also shared a message of hope for others who have felt similar despair. “I just want to say to anyone that feels that way, be patient with yourself and know that it is, I think, worth it all,” Eilish said, adding that “it’s good to be alive now” after not feeling that way for “a very long time.”

Eilish shared that Gerwig approached the siblings about contributing to the hit movie’s soundtrack at a point when the singer was “in a dark episode and things didn’t make sense in life. I just didn’t understand what the point was and why you would keep going. Just questioning everything in the world.”

But after she and Finneas sat in a theater and screened around 35 minutes of footage, Eilish said she was overcome with emotion watching Margot Robbie’s Barbie saying and feeling things “that I really, really, really resonated with and felt so close to. I felt so seen, and I did not expect that.” The result was the hushed, emotional ballad whose spare, thoughtful lyrics plumb existential questions in a most elegant way. “I don’t know how to feel/ But I wanna try/ I don’t know how to feel/ But someday I might/ Someday I might,” she sings on the track.

“I think that this movie is the most incredible, most empowering and beautiful and funny and just unbelievable piece of art in the world, and I’m so, so honored to be a part of it,” Eilish added before turning the mic over to her brother, who used his time to pay tribute to their parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell.

“Our parents were theater people before they were our parents. They met on a flight to Alaska to do regional theater in 1984, and in the ‘90s they got married to each other and decided to start a family,” he said. “They decided that it might be a good idea to move from New York where they were doing plays to Los Angeles to maybe do some things that would make some residual income like film and television. That didn’t work out at all, and I think it underscored as children that it was okay to have dreams that didn’t pan out the way that you thought they might. And it also underscored that the entertainment industry, like all industries, is fairly unfair.”

Despite their struggle, though, Finneas said the siblings were not raised by “bitter people who hadn’t gotten to achieve their dreams. We were raised by people who did nothing but encourage us to believe in ourselves and pursue the dreams and passions that we had. I don’t particularly know how they were able to do both of those things, but they were, and we’d be nothing and nowhere without our parents, and I love them so much.”

“What Was I Made For?” is nominated for best original song at Sunday night’s (Jan. 7) 81st annual Golden Globe Awards, as well as record of the year, song of the year, best pop solo performance, best song written for visual media and best music video at the upcoming (Feb. 4) Grammy Awards.

Watch footage of Eilish’s speech below.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

05 Jan 2024

BTS ‘FAME’ Manga to Tell Story of Group’s Rocket Ride to Global Superstardom

While the world waits for BTS to regroup in 2025 once the septet’s members have completed their mandatory duty in the South Korean military, an upcoming manga comic book will tell the story of K-pop superstars’ rise to global domination.

Tidalwave Productions announced on Thursday (Jan. 4) that BTS will be the latest subjects of its FAME manga series in FAME:BTS, which is due out on Jan. 10. The 22-page comic written by Eric M. Esquivel and illustrated by manga artist Lucy Fidelis Arts, will be available in digital and print formats across a variety of platforms. The print version will be sold in softcover and hardcover editions, with cover art by Paulo Teles Yonami and colors by Alexandre Starling.

“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to entertain ‘The BTS Army’ while the boys are putting their ‘Bulletproof Boy Scouts’ claim to the test in the actual South Korean military!,” writer Esquivel said in a statement.

“Exploring the comics universe with the BTS was a delightful journey, where every stroke, word, and scene became strokes of joy,” added artist Fidelis of the biographical re-telling of how RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook rose from obscurity to global pop domination over the past decade. “We crafted a captivating narrative that reflects the brilliance and magic of BTS’s extraordinary journey.”

The FAME series has previously told the stories of artists including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X, Drake, Beyoncé and Selena Gomez, among others. The BTS book is available for pre-order now on Amazon.

In December, Jimin, Jung Kook, Rm and V became the final members of the group to enlist in the mandatory 18-month military stint, following Jin, J-Hope and Suga.